The Penn State Nittany Lions men's hockey program opens up the 2022-23 campaign in one week with high expectations. Even with a revamped forward core and blue line, questions still remain heading into the new season. So let's take a look at the five biggest ones to look out for this year.
Is Liam Souliere a legit number one goalie?
It was not until the Big Ten Tournament, where Penn State upset No. 12 Ohio State in the quarterfinals, when Souliere showed signs of brilliance and a glimpse into the what the future holds for the junior net-minder. He is the presumed starter for the Nittany Lions after splitting time with Oskar Autio for the last two seasons. He finished last season 7-7-1 with a 2.88 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage.
The last time Penn State had a proven number one goaltender was from 2016-17 to 2019-20, when Peyton Jones was the four-year starter. In Jones' last season with Penn State, he played 30 games. Whether Souliere can carry that load is a huge question, especially with what is behind him. But the young goaltender starting in the playoffs was a big step.
"It's a continuation of what happened last year. It took a lot of work to get to the position that I wanted to be in which was starting in the playoffs," Souliere said. "I think just building off of that and having that offseason, knowing that we upset Ohio State last year knowing that we had that behind our belt. That's just a big step coming in with confidence rather than trying to find it during times where it's harder."
Souliere is going to be the x-factor for Penn State this season. If he can't live up to his role as a starter, Penn State might have some problems keeping the puck out of the net. He doesn't need to be putting up elite numbers, he just has to be a serviceable goaltender this year. This leads me to my next burning question.
Is Penn State's goaltending depth a concern?
This is the thing that worries me the most about this team. While the group in front of the goaltenders will be improved, the depth on paper is up in the air. Right now, Penn State has a goaltending trio of Souliere, freshman Noah Grannan and Doug Dorr.
Grannan is likely going to be the backup behind Souliere.
"I think he's a guy that had a very high profile and gotten some injury problems that he's dealt with and dealt with in a very positive way," head coach Guy Gadowsky said. "He's coming back and I think he'd be playing his best hockey. He's an excellent goaltender."
Before coming to Happy Valley, Grannan de-committed from the University of Wisconsin. The Germantown, Wisconsin, native spent two seasons with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL. Last season, he went 10-13-3 with a 3.25 goals-against average and a .891 save percentage. Sioux Falls was not a very good team in the 2021-22 USHL season, going 19-37-6, so it could have been the team in front Grannan that caused him to struggle or the injuries.
But, his career-high save percentage is a .905. That was back in 2017-18 when played 22 games with the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals in the T1EHL 16U AAA. Grannan was also a member of the US National U18 Team and was 11-10-0 as the backup goalie in 2019-20. He had a 2.77 goals-against average and a .881 save percentage. The fact that he had an average goals-against and poor save percentage is a little worrisome. Hopefully, Grannan will improve the more he plays and the more he develops under Gadowsky.
So Penn State has presumed solidified number one goalie in Souliere, a questionable backup in Grannan and an inexperienced Dorr who only played 5:19 last year. So the goaltenders are going to need lots of help on the defensive side of the puck if the Nittany Lions are going to have a bounce back season. Speaking of defense, here is my next question.
Is the defense as a whole going to be more durable?
Penn State brought in three freshmen blue-liners, Carter Schade, Dylan Gratton and Jarod Crespo, to help make the defense more physical and steady. This brings Penn State's defense up to eight bodies. The defense was the biggest problem last season, and it was something Gadowsky said he wanted to upgrade in the off-season. The Nittany Lions gave up 3.13 goals per game, which was the third most in the Big Ten.
Gadowsky claimed last year these three defensemen are snarly guys that can play physical but also bring speed which fits Penn State's identity of fast-paced hockey.
"All three were highly relied on by their teams and they were successful and they bring a number of things," Gadowsky said. "I think all three of them are very intelligent. I think all three of them move pucks really well, they all skate well. We're excited about every one of them."
Schade, a 5-foot-11 left-shot defensemen, played two seasons with the Lincoln Stars of the USHL. Last season, he had a career-best 31 points in 55 games and also had a plus/minus +21 rating. He was also the first overall pick in the 2019 USHL Draft. Despite being a smaller player, Schade is not afraid to throw his weight around.
The Mars, Pennsylvania, native also has a booming drive from the point.
Out of all the freshmen blue-liners, he is probably going to be the defenseman receiving the most minutes. He plays similar to former Penn State defenseman Cole Hults. I see Schade as a future top pair defenseman for this team once Jimmy Dowd Jr. graduates in 2024.
"I think he's got a very well-rounded game," captain Paul DeNaples said. "I think he's good offensively, good defensively with the puck and skates very well. He is an ideal two-way defenseman."
Gratton, younger brother of senior forward Tyler Gratton, is another left-shot defenseman who had 18 points in 60 games with the 2021-22 Clark Cup champion Sioux City Musketeers. Gratton is a very active defenseman who is not afraid to jump into the play to create offense.
I see Gratton as a third-pair defenseman this season.
Crespo is a right-shot defenseman that is very physical and likes to shoot the puck. The Eastampton, New Jersey, native was the captain of the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL and had 28 points (eight goals, 20 assists) in 58 games. However, he had a plus/minus rating of -20 and had 82 penalty minutes.
Even though the Gamblers as a whole were not a strong team in the USHL last year, if Crespo is going to get regular minutes on the Nittany Lions, he has to stay disciplined and throw cleaner hits. Penn State was 75.2% on the penalty kill which was sixth in the Big Ten. The struggling penalty kill cost Penn State critical games down the stretch last year.
So overall, the defense core is more physical and gritty and all three players do fit Penn State's identity of quick transition hockey.
Projected defense pairs
Carter Schade (2)-Jimmy Dowd Jr. (6)
Christian Berger (5)-Paul DeNaples (3)
Dylan Gratton (25)-Jarod Crespo (24)
Extras: Simon Mack (4), Kenny Johnson (15)
Will Ryan Kirwan take another step in his development?
There is no secret that Ryan Kirwan was Penn State's best rookie last year. Kirwan led Penn State freshmen in points (26) and goals (13). His heavy shot and uncanny ability to find the back of the net from anywhere on the ice is why DeNaples said Kirwan will be "the best goal scorer to come through Penn State".
"He's got an NHL shot," Dowd Jr. said. "It's unbelievable. The guy shoots like 500 pucks a day... He's gonna do something really special this year and I'm really excited to see what he has for us."
Kirwan started to blossom in the second half of the season and found great chemistry on the first line with Ben Copeland and Kevin Wall. He also scored two goals in the Big Ten Tournament, both of which came against Ohio State.
"We're not going to improve his shot. It's already maxed out," Gadowsky said. "He can start to improve in the strength and conditioning area. And he certainly he took that extremely seriously and he's done that."
He has the potential to be a 20-goal scorer especially with the amount of scoring depth Penn State has now with the additions of Ashton Calder and Ture Linden.
How will the additions of Ashton Calder and Ture Linden impact the bottom six?
Both Calder and Linden were massive additions to this team. The one thing that each of them bring is scoring depth and 200-foot play.
"We're also bringing in two, high profile transfers that we have high expectations for," Gadowsky said. "Not just in terms of offense, but in terms of 200-foot leadership."
Calder, a graduate student from North Dakota, scored 11 goals for the Fighting Hawks, which was second on the team, and will help a Penn State power play that was second last in the Big Ten. He scored two power-play goals last year. Calder has terrific hands and does a great job at finding open ice to create scoring opportunities.
"I'm a pretty big guy. I like to get physical but I also have a scoring touch," Calder said. "I also bring over some grit to the team and physical defensive play as well."
Linden, another graduate transfer from RPI, led the ECAC in points (39) and was tied for 11th in the nation in goals (20). Linden also helps the center depth, winning 49.3% of his faceoffs. He was also named a finalist for the ECAC Defensive Player of the Year blocking 26 shots. Linden's addition brings the center total to six, which helps considering that Chase McLane will not start the season due to a lower-body injury he sustained last season.
"I've made in college being a reliable two-way center. I think I'm good at both ends of the ice," Linden said. "I can play in all situations. Penalty kill, power play and five-on-five. Hopefully I can chip in where I can."
With these two additions, Gadowsky is going to have to make some tough decisions with his forwards. Some of the players that were on the roster last year won't be getting as much ice time. Guys like Carson Dyck, Christian Sarlo and Xander Lamppa might be on the chopping block. Furthermore, it might be unlikely freshman Alex Servagno cracks a roster spot this year because of the experience up front.
Gadowsky said on Tuesday that he is unsure what the forwards will look like. One thing is certain, however. Penn State is going to score a lot of goals this season and its forward depth is amongst the top three in the conference.
Projected forward lines:
Ryan Kirwan (11)-Ben Copeland (14)-Kevin Wall (21)
Connor McMenamin (19)-Connor MacEachern (29)-Ashton Calder (26)
Danny Dzhaniyev (13)-Ture Linden (20) -Tyler Paquette (23)
Tyler Gratton (28)-Ben Schoen (12)-Dylan Lugris (16)
Extras: Xander Lamppa (9), Alex Servagno (8), Christian Sarlo (10), Carson Dyck (7)
Injured: Chase McLane (17)
The Nittany Lions open up their season against the Canisius Golden Griffins on Oct. 7 at Pegula Ice Arena.
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